Team USA Adds Five Medals to Wrap FINA World Junior Championships

DUBAI – Highlighted by gold medals and championship records from Caeleb Dressel (Glen Cove Springs, Fla.) in the men’s 100m free and Andrew Seliskar (McLean, Va.) in the men’s 200m fly, the United States claimed five total medals Saturday on the sixth and final day of the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships at the Hamdan Sports Complex.

Over six days of swimming, Team USA captured a meet-best 28 total medals at World Juniors – nine gold, seven silver and 12 bronze. Russia won 26 total medals, while Australia tallied 18, including 10 gold.

Also reaching the podium Saturday for the Americans in addition to Dressel and Seliskar were Connor Green (Milton, Mass.), who won bronze in the men’s 200m back; Quinn Carrozza (Austin, Texas), who claimed bronze in the women’s 200m free; and the bronze-medal winning women’s 400m medley relay team.

In the evening’s first event, Dressel got the U.S. off to a fast start with gold in the men’s 100m free. He won his sixth medal – and first gold – of the meet with a championship record time of 48.97. Luke Percy of Australia won silver in 49.06, and Evegny Sedov claimed bronze in 49.47.

Seliskar followed with gold in the men’s 200m fly with a championship-record mark of 1:56.42. Japan’s Masato Sakai followed in 1:56.82 to win silver, with Russia’s Alexander Kudashev claiming bronze in 1:58.57.

In the men’s 200m back, Green raced to bronze in 1:58.42, while Alexander Katz (Sarasota, Fla.) finished fourth in 1:59.10 to just miss the podium. Italy’s Luca Mencarini took gold in a championship-record 1:57.92, and Keita Sunama of Japan won silver 1:58.21.

Carrozza won her third medal of the meet with bronze in the women’s 200m free in 1:59.69. Italy’s Diletta Carli won gold in 1:58.94, with Russia’s Mariia Baklakova taking silver in 1:59.51.

The U.S. women’s team of Kathleen Baker (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Olivia Anderson (Edina, Minn.), Courtney Weaver (Davison, Mich.) and Cierra Runge (Cochranville, Pa.) claimed bronze in the final event of the meet – the women’s 400m medley relay – with a time of 4:05.76. Russia won gold in 4:04.48, a championship record, with silver claimed by Great Britain in 4:05.42.

In other finals Saturday, Bethany Leap (Sarasota, Fla.) was eighth in the women’s 200m breast in 2:32.87, and Kathryn McLaughlin (Dana Point, Calif.) and Weaver tied for fifth in the women’s 100m fly in 1:00.16. In the men’s 1500m free, David Heron (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was sixth in 15:22.81, while Jonathan Roberts (Southlake, Texas) finished 10th in 15:33.16.

The men’s 400m medley relay team appeared to have clinched bronze in 3:41.28, but was disqualified for a false start. Japan won gold in a championship record 3:38.13, followed by runner-up Russia in 3:38.72. South Africa was awarded bronze after finishing in 3:42.01.

Complete event results are available online.

Men’s competitors at the FINA World Junior Championships must be between the ages of 15-18 as of Dec. 31, 2013, while women’s swimmers must be between 14-17 years old as of Dec. 31, 2013. For complete information on the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, please visit fina.org.